This is Luke's last chance. It's either a month sailing on the Phoenix, with "Ratface Radford" in charge, or jail time. Five other kids--each with hisThis is Luke's last chance. It's either a month sailing on the Phoenix, with "Ratface Radford" in charge, or jail time. Five other kids--each with his or her own set of problems--join the crew. After a violent storm and a massive explosion, the ship is engulfed in flames and sinks to the bottom of the ocean. There are four survivors. Only three of them can fit on a makeshift raft, so they take turns clinging to the side as "shark bait". With no food or fresh water, Luke knows that they must be rescued soon or die.

This is a great adventure story of second chances and the strength that is revealed when we are faced with difficult, seemingly impossible odds. I liked the way the author drew the reader into the story by using a journal format, just as Luke kept a journal while on the ship. ...more